On my way to the Alamo

I was in Eagle Pass yesteday and decided to drive to the Mexican city of Acuna. A Mexican border agent asked me a bunch of questions about my trip then decided to become a tourist guide. He suggested all kinds of places I should visit on my way to Progresso, in the Yucatan Peninsula, where I'll be going in January. We talked for over 30 minutes. And he even suggested that when I come back, he would come with me if he had some time off. Really cool guy but his suggestions would would take me about 2 weeks to accomplish. And I want to spend time with my friends Pierrette and Marcel.

I just drove a bit in Acuna and suddenly realized that I didn't have Mexican car insurance so I returned quickly to the border. Once there, the US immigration asked me all kinds of questions, put me under the microscope and searched throughout my car. Bad decision on my part to take this little excursion.

Well, looks like the bad Canadian weather is following me. I've even been accused of bringing the cold Canadian winter weather with me. But I try to explain that I came from sunny California. It's cool, rainy and dull; memories of BC,

Yes, I'm in San Antonio, Texas, and I went to the Alamo today. I was surprised to find the Alamo in the middle of the city of San Antonio. The site is actually a lot smaller than I imagined. What hapenned after the battle: the Mexicans took down the big wall that surrounded the Alamo, to prevent any future standoffs. So all that is left is the church, long barracks and some other walls. For more info on the Alamo go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Mission_in_San_Antonio

El Paso Texas

By the way, those pics are from Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. I thought they were nice and forgot to include them in my BC blog.

Travel trivia
I`ve logged about 14,000 kilometers
Was going to kayak the Rio Grande but it`s only 4 inches deep and I`ve put on some weight so, enough said.
About El Paso
-population 700,000
-85% mexican-americans
-Mexicans from Juarez come to shop in El Paso because it`s cheaper and goods are better quality
-I observed 100s walking back to Juarez, Mexico, with shopping bags full.
I chose not to go across because they kill one another there at the rate of 12-14 per week and the shootings are indiscriminate. They(drug gangs) use uzis and spray whoever they want to kill and shoot innocent bystanders.
I went for a walk the other night in my CS host`s neigbourhood here in El paso and got lost. They have no street lights and I missed his street on my return. It`s a beautiful subdivision with very nice homes but when it`s dark, it`s hard to recognize any landmarks. My host says the city is too poor to put up street lights. I stayed with another host in El Paso, a retired teacher and he too lives in a beautiful home in a very nice subdivision. Both were very pleasant stays.

Now I have a dilemma: go south to Brownsville, my original plan, or go to Houston, where I was to stop at the end of Jan. or early Feb. I can't get a hold of my friend Rick in Brownsville. I would also have a better choice of airlines in Houston to get back to Canada for Christmas.

Oh yeah, it's my bd today. I'm 65...A real, honest to goodness senior. I can't wait to cash in on all those benefits!!!!!! So far, no birthday hugs or kisses.

Eastern California, Arizona & New Mexico

Well, I'm definitely in desert country. It seems like Arizona is one huge desert: lots of cactus trees, dry, desolate yet pretty scenery. I stayed with a Mexican-American family in Indio; Andres, Patricia and their three sons. It was nice to relax and and talk about life and its many challenges.

I visited Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown. The park is really awesome with its joshua trees, a unique cactus and different rock formations. I only had a few hours to visit the park when I could have taken a whole day. I then went to Pioneertown which is a recreation of an old "wild west" town replete with saloon, bank, general store and a wanted poster of Pancho Villa.

Then it was on to Arizona where I was enthralled by Sedona and Montezuma's Castle. The castle, pictured here at your left, was built by local first nations in the 1400s and not the Aztec. It's very impressive and the state has done a lot of research in restoring it to it's original specs. It had been abandonned for decades and damaged by looters in the 1800s.

Then on to Phoenix and a stay with a friendly couple, Alexis and Kobi. They took me to a restaurant where I had a special dish called chicken fried steak: a battered deep-fried steak but no chicken. It reminded me a little of veal. They also forced me to have the biggest piece of chocolate cream pie that I ever had. As you may have observed from the pictures, I think I have put on a few extra pounds or 10. All this driving, eating and little exercise is not the best thing to keep me in shape. But then, round is a shape...hahaha, I know...it's lame, but I just had to say it.

I need to add that I often don't have time to "blog" due to lack of internet or time(often times, motels don't have the net or if I'm at a CS host, we chat and there is no time for computers which is good. I prefer chatting with my hosts and sharing travel or life stories). Tonight, it seems like I'm just cruising through this and not giving it everything.

So, I continued my journey east and drove through the most boring part of my trip although I did see the most humungus open pit mine you can imagine. It's a huge copper operation on the Arizona-New Mexico border. going to bed finish it tomorrow...my hosts are already in bed 10:10 pm

I'm now in Silver City, New Mexico,

Hollywood, San Diego and the Mohave Desert

Hollywood
Took a quick drive to downtown Hollywood, drove up the hill close to the BIG sign and had to pay the Bat Lady and her friend to have my picture taken with them(memories of Thailand). Drove around Rodeo Drive but didn't buy anything.

San Diego and Hotel del Coronado
Saturday, Nov 28
I'm in Oceanside, Southern California. Winter has arrived in this area. It was a cool, windy and wet day, 15 celcius. My host, Mike, took me to San Diego. I hadn't planned on going there but I'm glad I did. SD is a beautiful city with a lot of spanish influence. There is also a large naval base here and a ship rebuilding facility.
It's a pretty city with beautiful architecture and a revitalized downtown.
It was time to leave the Pacific part of my trip and that left me a bit sad. I really enjoyed the drive along the coast and all the incredible scenery. But then, I was heading for the deserts of eastern California and and all that had to offer; you'll see from my pics and stories that I was not going to be disappointed

Indio and Joshua Tree National Park
Ok, I arrived in the Mohave Desert area and new hosts, Andres and Patricia and their family. I spent two nights with this family and was directed by Andres to a number of sights to see in the area. I first went to Pioneertown where there is a reconstructed old west town. That was a lot of fun and brought back memories of my favorite cowboy movies.
I then went to the Joshua Tree Park which is a photographer's delight. I never took so many pictures of rocks, mountains and trees. If I ever return here, I'll stay a week because there is so much to see and some great hiking and camping sites.
Now, on to Arizona and hopefully kayak on the Colorado!

Sunny California

I'm in the Los Angeles area right now, Anaheim to be precise. It's going up to 80 degrees today so eat your heart out(you northerners). The drive down the California coast was well, totally spectacular. I was stopping very 10 or 20 miles to view the magnificent coast lines and to take pictures. I had to keep telling myself to stop as I would never reach my destinations. I love the ocean.

Am I tired of driving? Well, like I said, not having someone to share the sights with is kinda tough, but I'm used to that. The only problem is with my GPS lady. I often tell her to shut up when I make a wrong turn or if I'm speeding(she often says:"turn back, turn back," repeatedly if I miss a turn, or "slow down, you're over the speed limit"...a real nag at times). I guess I should appreciate the live "voice" and be more pleasant with her. But sometimes she scares me as I'm not expecting it. I'm chuckling as I write this..another entry for my blog.

Ok, in order: Nov. 16-17, Santa Cruz. Stayed with Jonna and Rich, an absolutely delightful couple who have a gorgeous house near the beach. I could hear the surf(the sound of the waves ) from my room. It was a real pleasure to stay here. I went kayaking with Jonna along the bay in Santa Cruz. We went near this big pier where 100s of seals and sea lions were resting or squatting. You could hear their grunts from 1/4 mile away. Very special to be so close to these creatures. Rich is a drummer in a band and my last night, I listened to them as they were getting ready for a gig. A nice group of musicians.

Nov. 18-19-20 Monterey: a very pretty town, with a lot of touristy things to do. The first two nights I stayed with Nancy, a member of the armed forces who is learning the Arab language. I cooked some salmon for dinner and we chatted over a bottle of wine. A very pleasant young woman and we had a good conversation about current issues ie war in Iraq, and politics.
I also stayed with Candace and I was her first couchsurfer. She had her boyfriend stay over I suspect for extra security...hahaha. After dinner, we went for a very nice walk downtown by the marina.

Then I drove down the coast and went hiking up a mountain at Big Sur. The view was not as spectacular as I would have liked but it got me out of the car and doing something physical. I think I've put on a few pounds since I've left as I'm not doing much activity and eating a lot.

I'm now staying with Ron in Ahaheim. A real nice easy going guy. He was bit by a poisonous spider a while back and it caused a lot of physical damage to his legs and his eyes. He's had to have surgery and has trouble seeing. He lives close to Disneyworld and last night we watched the fireworks from his living room window. Ok, gotta go and cruise LA. Another note: there are a lot of Mexican-Americans here, a lot more than I thought. I went to do laundry this morning and most of the clients there were mexicans. A lot of the signage is in spanish. I attendede a Ducks and Calgary Flames game tonight. Ducks won 3-2 in a shootout.
I want to add that Ron made my day when he took me to a Korean BBQ restaurant. One of the best meals I've had on the trip. Thanks a lot for that Ron.

Then, it was off to Long Beach and a new hostess, Debbie. We had a lot of fun: going to a movie about a 60's & 70's civil rights lawyer, playing tennis in the hot sun, preparing salads and an apple galette for Thanksgiving dinner. I got to go kayaking again at Seal Beach. It was another wonderful day on the ocean; I called my brother Roger while on the big waters to find out when he'd come to ride with me.

I had a special time when Debbie invited me to attend Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She has a wonderful family who welcomed me and it reminded me very much of my own family and the fun that we have. We ate turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes etc...and a yummy apple galette prepared by Debbie andd a pumpkin chesse cake made by her mom and that was great too.

Sunny California

Yes, I've found the sun: Petaluma, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, all warm and sunny. I've just returned from a kayaking run in Santa Cruz Bay with my hostess, Jonna Paz. I arrived here last night . My CS my hosts, Rich and Jonna, have a gorgeous house on the beach. I could move here. The beaches are full of walkers and surfers. I was a bit apprehensive about going into the "big" waters with my kayak as there were fair size waves coming in but it turned out ok. Jonna and I went to a large wharf where at least a hundred sea lions and seals were resting under the docks. You could hear their sounds from half a mile away. We got to about fifty feet from them and had a good look. Unfortunately, my camera's battery went dead. I think I need a new one as it was charged up yesterday and just died. Jonna took some pics and hopefully, she'll send me copies.

San Francisco was incredible however, I was only there for a day and didn't get to kayak under the Golden Gate Bridge. I got lost a few times and had trouble finding a place to put in my kayak. I went to Fisherman's Wharf and drove up and down many streets. The views were astounding: houses perched on the side of a hill, Alcatraz, beautiful harbours with million dollar boats, cyclists everywhere and good cycling lanes. It was amazing to see these cyclists going up the steep streets.

I noticed a lot of joggers too and many, many people walking their dogs. I ended up on the GG Bridge 4 times and paying $6.00 every time...it's just not well indicated. And that's how I missed the kayak launch area. I ended up on the other side of the bay.

I also spent a day in Petaluma(north of S.F.) hosted by Neil and Linda. They also have a very charming house that they are sprucing up with paint and having the hardwood floors redone. We went for a walk downtown and they pointed out areas where the movie American Graffiti was shot. It's a beautiful city with many old buildings that have been preserved and maintained. A very charming place.

The drive down he coast was breathtaking. I was stopping every 15 to 20 minutes to admire the vistas and take pictures. Absolutely stunning views and they tell me some drives further south are even more beautiful. This is where travelling alone has its drawbacks: no one to share the moments with. So, I called my daughter Julie and my mom and then I felt good.

I bought a cell to keep in touch and it's pretty inexpensive.

Coos Bay, Oregon

Coos Bay, Oregon
What a nice, pleasant and laid-back place: reminds me of Manitoulin Island. I finally got to put my kayak in the Pacific Ocean. It was a warm and SUNNY!!!!! day and I was very happy. There were sea lions swimming close to me which was a bit scary and at one point, one dove and I was wondering if he could come over and tip me, so I got out of there...fact is they probably swim faster than I can paddle.

Coos Bay had a huge lumber operation years ago that has since closed down. Now, it's mostly fishing (a large oyster farming area), tourism and a casino. My hosts, Tony and Crystal, are very gentle and easy going people. Like most couchsurfing hosts, they are trusting and generous. Both left this morning and I was alone in their home. When they leave, they hardly ever lock the doors. Tony says there is little crime in the area. Tony is a very interesting guy...an original hyppie(his own words). He even had a VW van during the 60's and travelled all over with it. He's a surfer, musician(plays 9 instruments), and jack of many trades. Thanks alot for hosting me.

Some trip facts:
odometer reading for trip so far: 8,657km
Cost of gas: close to $1,000.00
Cost of motels: over $1,000.00
Couchs surfed: 4